Cricket

Cricket in Codicote has been active for over a hundred years, probably, although this hasn’t been corroborated within historical notes as yet. It is known that in the 1970s the club folded for a few years due to lack of interest, but a few enthusiasts reformed the club in 1983 following a winter listening to The Ashes in the wee small hours.

Since it was reformed we have seen mixed fortunes with increasing success closely followed by some lean years. Until recently the club went from strength to strength, moving from Division 12 up to the dizzy heights of Division 6 in the Hertfordshire Saracens League, however we have subsequently suffered a set back. The club can no longer field a league team on Saturdays, so is playing friendly matches throughout the season on a Sunday. Although not as competitive as league, it does allow us to bring Colts into the side for an early opportunity to play adult cricket.

In an effort to revitalise Codicote Cricket Club we are focusing on Youth Cricket for the next few years to build up enthusiasm for the game in the Codicote area. We rekindled coaching for any child wishing to improve skills and confidence to play cricket. In the future we’re looking to secure funding for a coach to train Colts at both Codicote School and our Club. This will hopefully feed younger players into the club to encourage a sense of ownership and build team spirit.

With a reduction in available players we are always on the lookout for new blood from within the village and surrounding area. We welcome all abilities and can generally accommodate player’s availability, whether they can only play one or two fixtures a season or happy to be available most of the season. Anyone interested please contact us at [email protected] or visit the website www.codicote.play-cricket.com

Over the last few years, the performance of the colts has been so impressive that those who moved out of our U16 team a year or so ago, are now heading the statistics for batting and fielding! Our leading run-making players have regularly been those in the 16-25 age group. This has created a healthy environment for in-house competitive rivalry among the younger players, as well as the occasional mature player.

All players, including the younger members of the club, are encouraged to join the committee. This proves successful in maintaining the interest of the 16-25 age group within Codicote Cricket Club. Over the last few years, the committee has been populated with at least one and more often two or more members under the age of 25, making up some 15-25% of the committee.

The under 25’s are now being included in our programme of training players to be coaches. This group has been coaching assistants for a couple of years and should soon be fully integrated into the coaching team within the next year or so.

Until 1998, the club had been varied in its success. During that year, however, it started gaining players and a confidence through the hard work and determination of a core set of members. The club joined a local Sunday League, which proved popular with our players and it soon attracted other players. With this influx of players, the club was able to put out two teams at a weekend on a regular basis. This trend of raised availability and a desire to play from the members resulted in a steady increase in the number of teams the Club is able to field at a weekend.